Recent Submissions

BACKGROUND : The World Health Organization has declared suicide a global health crisis, predicting that ~1.53 million people will commit
suicide annually by 2020. OBJECTIVE : A study from South Africa reviewed 1 018 ...

Ralstonia solanacearum and R. pseudosolanacearum are well known primary pathogens of herbaceous crops. Reports of wilt caused by these pathogens in tree species are limited other than on Eucalyptus species. Despite the ...

We present the case of a 41-year-old woman who was fatally injured during a witnessed lightning strike event and in whom autopsy revealed the unusual keraunopathological finding of overt pneumomediastinum. The possible ...

BACKGROUND. Registrars play a vital role in teaching undergraduate (UG) medical students. Previous studies indicate that registrars contribute as much
as 30% of medical students’ knowledge and that up to 20% of a registrar’s ...

BACKGROUND. Sudden and unexpected death is well known to occur in infants, and although sudden deaths are less frequent after the first
birthday, they still account for a significant proportion of childhood deaths. In ...

BACKGROUND. On 11 November 1994, 26 preadolescent girls, 2 adult supervisors and 7 dogs were sleeping in a tent in rural South Africa
when the tent was struck by lightning. Four of the girls and 4 of the dogs were killed. ...

A previously healthy 2 year old female toddler was brought to the emergency department with a history
of severe hematemesis. Posterior-Anterior (PA) and lateral chest radiographs demonstrated a round
radio-opaque object ...

BACKGROUND : South Africa’s crude death rate was recorded as the highest in the world in 2014. In 2013, 47 murders occurred
daily nationwide, and it was confirmed that sharp force fatalities were frequent events. The aim ...

This article reviews South African (SA) law and its impact on the medicolegal management of fetal remains emanating from elective and
therapeutic termination of pregnancies, stillbirths and miscarriages and the remains ...

According to the WorldHealth Organization, an estimated 9 million people contracted tuberculosis (TB) with approximately
25% of TB cases being from Africa. TB was reported as the number one cause of natural death for ...

BACKGROUND. Numerous articles have been published on the use of autopsies in training medical students in anatomy and different branches of pathology.
Some authors have described the emotional response of students who ...

BACKGROUND : Children and young adults are particularly vulnerable to intentional and accidental fatal injuries. The majority of deaths in
Africa in children <5 years of age are due to infectious diseases. Road traffic ...

A 16 year old male adolescent of African ethnicity presented
to a health care facility with a long standing history
of chronic coughing. The treating medical practitioner
requested a chest X-ray which revealed a large ...

A previously healthy 31 year old African male was assisting
friends with the repair of the roof of a neighboring house.
That evening at a social gathering the man complained of an
apparent headache and went home early ...

In South Africa bee stings are most commonly
caused by either Apis mellifera capensis or A. mellifera
scutellata, indigenous species which are notoriously
aggressive when compared to European honey bees.
According to ...

Drowning is classified as the 3rd leading cause of accidental deaths worldwide and is deemed to be a
preventable cause of death. Bodies retrieved from a water medium pose several challenges to the
forensic pathologist ...

A 41-year old male sustained a fatal gunshot wound during a house robbery. Police enquiries and scene investigation revealed that a single shot had been fired and that one spent 9 mm cartridge case was retrieved from the scene.

Currently in South Africa research into sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) is limited. The causes
of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remain obscure despite full medico-legal investigations
inclusive of autopsy, ...

We investigated the pathology of human trauma associated with lightning’s pressure blast wave. Within what
range is a human at risk and what are the risks? Two theories for the trauma currently exist: the flash ...

There is a dearth of literature on the extent of fetal or newborn abandonment or “dumping” and the
medico-legal investigation procedures these cases require. This is despite the fact that these
occurrences are a world-wide ...